Surface Pro 2 Review

As promised, Surface Pro 2 is an evolutionary update to Microsoft's excellent first-generation hybrid PC. It looks identical to, and weighs the same as, its Surface Pro predecessor, but comes with an updated Intel "Haswell" processor and the expected improved battery life. And thanks to some software improvements in Windows 8.1 Pro, it also fixes a few usability problems as well.

I've only been using the Surface Pro 2 for a bit more than a week, and I'll be using and evaluating this device further in the coming days, weeks, and months. But with several months of Surface Pro experience under my belt, I feel comfortable in stating that Surface Pro 2 isn't a huge leap over its predecessor, though it does improve some of the issues I had with that initial device.

Here's what's happening with Surface Pro 2.

Four models. For Surface Pro 2, Microsoft has upped the number of product models up from 2 to 4. So in addition to the versions with 64 GB and 128 GB of solid state storage, as with the Surface Pro, Microsoft now offers versions with 256 GB and 512 GB of storage too. And those two upper-level versions come with more RAM. (See below).

Same form factor. Disappointingly, Surface Pro 2 comes in an identical form factor as the original, and it's as thick (.53 inches) and heavy (2 pounds) as before. No changes here, which means that Surface Pro 2 is a productivity laptop first and a tablet second. It also features the same VaporMg casing, in the same dark gray (almost black) color. It does, however, feature a Surface logo on the back instead of the Windows logo.

Surface Pro 2 (top), Surface Pro (bottom)

Better processor. Where the original Surface Pro sported a run-of-the-mill 3rd generation Intel Core i5 ("Ivy Bridge") processor running at 1.7 GHz with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 chipset, Surface Pro 2 offers a significant improvement: This bad boy comes with a 4th generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor running at 1.6 GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 2.6 GHz), with Intel HD Graphics 4400. This new chipset is considerably more efficient and provides better performance, though most users won't notice a big difference in day to day use. (The big deal here is battery life, as noted below.)

No processor options. With Surface Pro 2, Microsoft is offering upper-level versions of the product with more RAM and storage capacity—this is noted below as well—but it is not, curiously, offering a faster Core i7-4500U chipset in those products, which I find a bit disappointing. Every version of Surface Pro 2 comes with the same processor.

RAM. As with the original Surface Pro, the 64 GB and 128 GB versions of Surface Pro 2 ship with 4 GB of RAM. But the two higher-end versions, with 256 GB and 512 GB of storage, come with 8 GB of RAM, a big improvement. As you'll see below, however, those two high-end Surface Pro 2 models are considerably more expensive.

Storage. As noted previously, the different Surface Pro 2 models offer 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB of storage, respectively. The 512 GB version is apparently very limited from an availability perspective.

Battery life. I don't run formal battery life tests, but I was of course interested to see how well Surface Pro 2 surpassed the miserable 4.5 to 5.5 hour real world battery life of its predecessor. And I've got mostly good news, though I need to measure this further going forward: In various situations, Surface Pro 2 delivered anywhere from 5 hours to 7.5 hours of real world battery life. This is a bit less than expected—using Microsoft's numbers, I was expecting just under 8 hours. But it's still a big improvement over the first Surface Pro.

Dual-position kickstand. Surface Pro 2 now features a two-position kickstand, compared to the single position provided by the original unit. This is a surprisingly useful change, and I've found that I use the new position (which tilts the screen to 40 degrees) more than the original (24 degrees). The only weird thing about the new kickstand is that I often hold the device with the kickstand open while walking around—it's just easy to secure your hand under the open kickstand—and it feels a bit more wobbly, like it's broken. It's as solid as ever, in fact, but something to be aware of since the second position gives the open kickstand a bit more give.

Surface Pro 2 (left), Surface Pro (right)

Screen. The Surface Pro 2 features the same 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD screen as its predecessor, running at the same 1920 x 1080 resolution. Used side-by-side, I find these screens to be identical. But thanks to software improvements in Windows 8.1, I find the combination of very high resolution and a very small physical screen to be less onerous than it was with Surface Pro and Windows 8. The desktop scales to 150 percent automatically and even the smallest on-screen items are just barely tappable with a finger. It's not perfect—and I still haven't figured out how to scale two displays differently—but it's better than before.

Mini-DisplayPort. As with its predecessor, Surface Pro 2 uses a Mini-DisplayPort port for video-out, but this time it's Mini-DisplayPort 1.2, which should give users the ability to chain two external displays. I've only tested it with one external display, however. The original HDMI and VGA adapters work as before and have not been updated.

Cameras. The front- and rear-facing cameras on Surface Pro 2 are identical to those in the original, with 720p video resolution and a built-in microphone.

Windows 8.1 Pro. Not a big deal, but it's worth mentioning that Surface Pro 2 comes with Windows 8.1 Pro preinstalled, not Windows 8 as with the original Surface. (Though you can of course upgrade for free.) Please read my exhaustive Windows 8.1 Review for more information about this new OS version.

Other things that haven't changed. The Surface Pro 2 also comes with a Surface Pro Pen, offering 1024 levels of pressure but still with no good place to store it. It features the same micro-SD slot for expansion of up to 64 GB. It has built-in Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth (this time BT 4.0), a full-sized USB 3.0 port, and a standard (and single) audio port.

Surface Pro 2 (top), Surface Pro (bottom)

Power connector. As I noted in my Surface 2 First Impressions and Photos, that device ships with a new version of the power connector in which the "connected" light is no longer a pin-prick at the tip of the connector but is rather a ring of light that is much easier to see. My Surface Pro 2 review unit did not include this new connector, but instead used the old version. But some tell me that their own Surface Pro 2 devices do include the new connector. This tells me that Microsoft is getting rid of the old inventory, so if you get the old style connector, see if you can complain your way to a replacement: The new version is much better. From a connection standpoint, one of the weird issues with Surface RT and Surface Pro (to a lesser extent) was that it was often hard to accurately connect this power connector. But Surface Pro 2 seems to connect more reliably.

Heat and fan noise. One of the issues I had with the original Surface Pro was that the device would heat up and the fan would kick on in very noticeable fashion. So far, this has been less of an issue with Surface Pro 2, though you can of course feel some heat—and, when listening closely, hear the fan—during and after playing games. Look, it's a PC. But thanks to the more efficient "Haswell" chipset, the constant whirring does seem to be a thing of the past. This, too, is something I'll be keeping my eye—well, my ear—on in the coming weeks.

Pricing. The first two Surface Pro 2 models—4 GB/64 GB and 4 GB/128 GB—are priced as were the original versions, at $899 and $999, respectively. These prices are at least $100 more expensive than I'd like, and since you still need to get a typing cover—the recommend Type Cover 2 is $130—the real-world starting prices are $1030 and $1130. That's big bucks, and MacBook Air pricing territory. But it gets even worse as you move up the food chain. The 8 GB/256 GB version of Surface Pro 2 costs a whopping $1299, a $300 premium over the next one down. But the 8 GB/512 GB version is positively stratospheric: That costs $1799. You should get an i7 for that price. Period.

Useful extras. OK, I've complained about the price. But your Surface Pro 2 does come with a few extras that can help mitigate those costs. Each machines ships with codes to provide 200 GB of free SkyDrive storage for two years—a $200 value—and one year of free voice calling over Skype in over 60 countries, a value of $30 or so. If you need such niceties, that's a nice savings.

Surface Pro 2 (top), Surface Pro (bottom)

In use, Surface Pro 2 holds no real surprises. It looks, feels, works, and performs just like its predecessor, though it does so while offering a noticeable and welcome improvement in battery life. This is by design: As Surface lead Panos Panay noted at the launch event last month, Surface Pro was already the best-selling device in its class, and Surface Pro customers really loved the product so there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

I feel compelled to add, not for the first time, that some may find the small screen on this device to be a bit off-putting, and I'd really like to see a bigger-screen Surface Pro device, even if it has to be a touch-screen Ultrabook instead of a real hybrid. But Surface Pro 2 offers the same very high quality as its predecessor, and if you're looking for a highly-portable device that can handle both work and play but with an emphasis on work, Surface Pro 2 is the right tool for the job. Highly recommended.

Discuss this Article 53

Regarding display scaling, I don't think you get the option to set them independently. You get the option to set them all the same, which beings up the percentage selector, and all will be 100%, 200% whatever, OR you don't select that check box and MS scales things 'intelligently' across your assorted monitors, based on a smaller-larger slider. Those things are accessed from the screen resolution panel with the 'make text and other items larger or smaller' link. If you play with those settings and bring up a calculator or something fixed size on both screens, you will see it actually does adjust the scaling somewhat appropriately, but it certainly isn't as nice as your being able to say 150% on the Surface, and 100% on that 24" external.

Paul, have you seen any weird Wi-Fi performance issues with the Pro 2? I got mine Tuesday (8GB/256), and love it, but I have noticed that on a couple of different 802.11n routers, I'm only seeing a maximum of 2-3mbps down but 11-12mbps up. ]

One other note: yesterday in use as a OneNote machine, I saw more than 9 hours of life and still had about 1/3 battery left. I wonder if the Haswell is better at normal everyday stuff, and not as efficient when loaded up. (Of note, tonight I've been in Visual Studio for 4.5 hours, and still have about 60% battery life, so I'm pretty happy with that.)

This is exactly what I wanted to know about: Visual Studio.
Paul mentions that most users won't notice a big [performance] difference in day to day use when compared to the first Surface Pro.

However, what about developers that multitask Visual Studio along with Photoshop + SublimeText + Browser with several tabs? You just can't do that in a tablet, and it's really demanding even for ultrabooks, I would like to know how much difference there is in performance using this workflow between Surface Pro1 & Surface Pro2.

I'm using VS2013 with SQL dbForge Suite and of course, Outlook, etch. I'm not running SublimeText right now, but performance is very good. Maybe not quite as high as my previous Core i7, 32GB RAM machine, but then I wouldn't expect it to be.

I was considering getting the Surface Pro 2 to replace my original Pro (I planned to give that to a family member) but to justify the upgrade I wanted at least the 256gb version, but at $300 extra that is just crazy, not to mention the 512gb version which is $900 more than the 64gb. I don't know what MS was thinking, but with this pricing they can keep it and have another $1bn write-off soon.
This comment about the pricing I found sums it up perfectly:

"64GB - $899 = ok, but too limited
128GB - $999 = ideal price if it at least included 8gb ram
256GB - $1299 = Crazy, $300 more REALLY!!!
512GB - $1799 = INSANE, by the time they were deciding this price they must have been high as hell."

Geez, that pricing structure. I understand it's a niche device and is going to have a premium price... but when your niche is professionals, the least you can do is respect their judgment and provide options.

If there were a 128GB HD and 8GB RAM option I'd get it immediately. And I'm sure there are people out there who want i7's or other set ups that fit their needs or price range.

I am currently using the original Samsung Series 7 Slate with Windows 8.1 and I think the screen size is just right for me. The perfect Surface tablet for me would have the same size screen as my Series 7 but weigh in at 1.5 pounds or less.

I picked one up on launch day. Was great that the MSFT store bought back my SP1 *and* transferred the extended warranty from my old machine to this one. So, I started off happy.

My take is that SP2 is a "hardware service pack." It mainly fixes problems with the first edition, and Redmond would love to get it into the hands of existing customers... but, unlike software, you can't just download a new kickstand, chip, etc. (Hence the buyback program, I think.)

So far I'm really pleased. I was already a huge SP fan but with the usual complaints:'
* wouldn't sit still in my lap
* battery life was pathetic
* not enough memory or disk space
* type cover was too thick for mobile use, and touch cover just didn't work
* nowhere to really store the pen

So they fixed all but the last one. Touch cover 2 is a marvel. New kickstand works in the lap (though I wish my legs were a little longer, it's tight) and also makes it easier to use unobtrusively in meetings. Battery is a big difference. And double the memory/disk is exactly what I needed.

Only remaining gripe is that there's nowhere to put the pen. Amusingly, at the Boston store launch event, Panos Panay fussed up that he had to hack a storage system for his stylus - it's some sort of Moleskine-like attachment glued on.

Well, the other gripe is that it still has fans. It doesn't need them. My SP1 would fire up the fans when I connected my 27" external display, but this puppy is silent. Would have much preferred a fatness design - even a couple of mm thinner would have made a difference. Or they could have stuck even more battery where the fans are.

Did I say I love the touch cover 2? It is a revelation. My only keyboard now. Though I wish someone would explain the supposed "gestures" that work on the full keyboard. Haven't figured that out yet.

Wanna replace my Pro 1 with the Pro 2 just for the battery boost alone, and maybe the two-position kickstand is an added bonus as well, but maybe I'll just hold out for a 13" Pro...? I've been getting by fine with the current angle as I have a nice Herman Miller chair at work and recline a bit to conform to the Pro 1 kickstand angle (sounds backwards, yes, but it does the job and is comfortable). At home, I've been deliberately avoiding using a keyboard cover to force myself to get used to tablet mode for everything. It's a slow process, but it's def coming along and I actually think getting my new Touch Cover 2 is gonna be a waste of money sooner than later. MS actually is making this harder than it has to be since hover menu behavior is still not where it needs to be even in IE 11, and the virtual keyboard needs to be much improved to account for more than just text typing. There's a lot of switching to the number pad/special character key set and occasionally keyboard types so that I can use the keys or characters that I need to. It's boiling down to retraining muscle memory, in much the same way I've built it up over the years on regular keyboards.

Paul, you mentioned in your original Surface Pro review that your biggest beef with the device was desktop scaling and resolution issues. Is that still a problem with the SP2? Have you managed to find ways to cope with that issue?

Nice Review, I just have one question are the speakers on the Surface Pro 2 significantly louder then on the Surface Pro 1 ? I am a musician and I have the Surface pro 1 128 gig and I am debating if I should upgrade or maybe just get a a power cover for my current device ?

So I had not really looked at that. Setting both devices to 50 percent volume and playing a few of the same songs on each, the answer is .. yes. Actually, the Pro 2 is noticeably louder. And better sounding, for whatever that is worth.

So it turns out there is display-centric DPI scaling, but the option is buried and rather non-indicative. It’s possible to actually change the scaling of one display and then another by dragging a dialog box around and then adjusting its slider inside the different displays while the option “Let me choose one scaling option for all my displays” is unchecked or selecting a monitor in the display menu, clicking through to the scaling menu, going back to display to select the other monitor, and clicking through to scaling again.

It’s unintuitive, but it works! The only downside is that windows will issue a glitched-out flicker for a second as they’re rescaling from one screen to the other, but it’s better than nothing. We just wish it was a little clearer that this was actually an option somewhere in the window with all the scaling options.
- Gizmodo Windows 8.1 Review

I saw my first surface pro in the wild. I am under contract on my house and the home inspector had a surface pro. The reason? Legacy compatibility. He has some old software that runs on windows. It actually isn't compatible with anything beyond XP and he said he gets registry errors when he installs it - but it still works fine so he has no reason to change. I thought maybe he had it because it was cool, but it was specifically for compatibility with legacy software. Sigh....

I think rather than 200Gb of Skydrive for 2 years I would rather get a 1 time permanent bump of 100Gb or even 50Gb... yes yes, I know why they do this... they want you to load up your skydrive with 200Gb of cat photos so you HAVE to keep paying to $100 a year to not lose them.

Paul,
Thanks for the great review. I chatted with Surface support with regard to the updated power connector for Surface Pro 2 and they said they are aware of the issue and it was apparently caused by a shortage of the newer connectors. They are still waiting to get them but took my information and will call me back when they come in to change the old out with the new.

Surface Pro 2 has a TPM and Windows 8 Pro, so you can protect the drive with BitLocker, and removable drives with BitLocker To Go. With the SSD, you can encrypt the entire drive in a matter of minutes. I have an original and a new Pro. One thing I noticed on the original is HD video can drain the battery pretty quick. I tried an HD video and the battery seems to last longer with the new Pro, though I don't have numbers to back that up. This could be one of the benefits of the Haswell chipset if true though.

As disappointing as the same form factor may be, undoubtedly that was done to allow the docking unit to work with both the original and Pro 2. Imagine the yalps and screams had the new Surface Pro 2 been the only device to afford a connection to the dock.

So I just did a Surface Pro 2 battery test. Not the usual video-repeat or reloading-a-web-page test, but what I think is a more useful test.

At 5:30 today, I took a fully-charged SP2 off of the charger and started working. Was mostly working in Word, but also had Outlook loaded and did a bunch of email. Fired up Excel a couple of times and also Stata, a high-end statistical program. Did some web browsing and was playing music in the background for a bit. No movies. (this is a productivity machine for me) Downloaded an 8.1 update as well but did not install.

I worked pretty much continuously, taking brief breaks to grab some food or use the restroom, but the machine never shut down & woke instantly when I came back to it (i.e., never had to use the power button to turn it on; the capacitive windows key did the trick).

At 12:20 the computer gave me the "10% remaining" message , and at 12:32 (with about 7% left) the screen went blank. It presumably hibernated.

That's pretty much exactly 7 hours of battery life while working. could last longer or shorter if you are mostly browsing the web or watching movies, I dunno..

The same settings on my SP1 would get me 4-4.5 hours pretty reliablyso this is about a 50-60% improvement. I know Panos claimed a 75% improvement at the launch event, but he exaggerates (also claimed that that Type Cover 2 is silent, but that's flat wrong...quieter, yes, but silent? no way).

so there you have it. I guess it's still half the battery life of a non-Pro Surface, just like the first generation.

Looks like Woz will have to get a Surface Pro: "'Yes it’s thinner but I wanted storage. I don’t have broadband at home, so I carry all my personal media in the iPad. So I was hoping Apple has a 256GB iPad,' Wozniak told an audience at the Apps World conference in London" http://www.geekwire.com/2013/woz-ipad-air/

I'm one of those folks just about to pull the trigger so I can have a portable Wacom tablet that also just happens to run Windows apps. So tempting. That said, I'm curious to know if anyone has used Photoshop to *draw* on the SP2 yet? I'd be interested in hearing how that task worked out, re: scaling, stylus, etc. TIA!

Many artists use it to draw with Manga Studio, Adobe Photoshop, Fresh Paint and more. Seems to work very well once the Wacom driver is installed and the pen calibrated.
Search #SurfaceArt it will give you an idea.

I have a Samsung Windows 7 tablet with a blue-tooth keyboard. I would love to be able to type with the tablet in my lap or just flip the keyboard out of the way when I am surfing the web or watching movies. And since I use the Metro apps more than the desktop applications, having a tablet is a better fit for me.

You can if they are DisplayPort 1.2 or more with chaining. You should contact the author of the post I linked above he may be able to help. Also read somewhere someone plugging 2 Dell 31" displays.but can't remember, perhaps on surfaceforum.net

So I decided to pick this up over and Ipad Air, the two deciding factors were:
1. Windows 8.1, I like it on my gaming PC, and at least some of the steam games I own could be loaded onto the surface, especially older games.
2. The Wacom digitizer, I love sketching, and it's very well made, I've already shelved my old bamboo drawing tablet.

My negative is the type 2 keyboard, It's bizarre that there isn't some type of hard clam shell type keyboard accessory that supports the weight of the tablet for a better laptop hybrid experience.

The Kickstands are great, but the first third party accessory maker that comes up with some kind of clamshell or hinge based keyboard is getting my money yesterday.
This seems like a no brainer to make the device the total package, and really the only thing that annoys me.

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